Tuesday, November 22, 2011

See what I did there, tying this week into the Thanksgiving holiday? My original plan for Pipe Dope, even before I had a title, was to consistently align my dad's story with the date I was posting throughout the year. This isn't the story for that strict an approach, but on occasion it does make sense to tie things together.

In other news, I'm thrilled to note that the Harvey Pekar Library Statue has met its funding goal! Many, many thanks to anyone and everyone who contributed. And if you haven't yet, there are still 12 days left to pledge a donation. Once the statue has been built and installed, any leftover money will go toward buying more comics for the Cleveland Heights Public Library, which Harvey frequented on nearly a daily basis. For more info, just click that Kickstarter button on the left-hand side of this page.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Sorry to be posting a bit late this morning. Weekend's always have a way of throwing me off my regular schedule. However, I did manage to finish #155 early, so expect that tomorrow right at 6 a.m. PST.

Friday, November 18, 2011

I finally started reading Terry Moore's Echo. Terry Moore is a genius, a true cartoonist, and I envy every line he's ever committed to paper, whether it be with lead or ink. And I totally cribbed the hatching along the bottom of today's panels from him. There's an elegance to the way he uses it that I know I don't have, but after all, this is my first time trying the technique. And, you know, Pipe Dope's all about giving me a chance to try new (for me) things.

In other news: In support of the Occupy movement, Whiskey & Fox, the "journal of poetry, theory, and queer-heterotopoi," is publishing a series of zines under the banner "Parks & Occupation," and the second issue features a one-page comic by yours truly. I'm thrilled to be included, and humbled by the company my comic keeps. Please click over to Whiskey & Fox's website, where you can download the issue in PDF format.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I know times are tough and money's tight, and I hate harping, but I'd be thrilled if the proposed Harvey Pekar memorial becomes a reality, and it can only happen if the comics-loving (and Harvey-loving) community can chip in. Alan Moore seems to agree, and he's shared a few words on Vimeo:

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

And we're back! Sorry for the delay, but things have been mighty busy. However, I've hopefully built up enough of a running start that I'll be able to work with only one day off between weeks for the next couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed--it's pretty important that #s 161-165 are posted the week of November 28, starting on the 28th...

Friday, November 11, 2011

Holy moley--I've done 150 of these. For a guy who spent way too many years thinking about making comics without actually doing anything about it, this landmark--minor as it is--brings with it a certain sense of satisfaction.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Catching word of the efforts to raise money for a Harvey Pekar Library Statue (info available here and through that Kickstarter widget at left) has got me thinking a lot about my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Adding fuel to the fire was this terrific Cleveland Scene Report that Kevin Czap wrote up for Frank Santoro's column at the Comics Journal's website; as Czap makes clear, Cleveland's got what's shaping up to be a terrifically inspiring comics scene. And while I haven't been there before and I know I can't make it this year, I'm really hoping to someday participate in the city's Genghis Con Underground Comix Expo. I suspect that show would be just my speed.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Thanks, all, for hanging in through another week. This time out, I was back to figuring out the entire week's thumbnails before getting to work on the actual panels. I'm not yet sure how next week's process might go, but no matter what, I plan to be back on Monday with #146...

The Not-So-Secret Origin of Jon D. Witmer and The Danger Digest!

A child of the Midwest, Jon--who notably eschews the letter ‘h’ in both his first and last names--was born and raised just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. After acquiring from a friend, through dubious means, a copy of The Flash #350, young Jon became a voracious comic-book reader. With a degree in film studies from The Ohio State University, Jon today resides in Los Angeles, California, where by day he serves as the associate editor of American Cinematographer magazine, and by night he dives deep into the turbulent waters of The Danger Digest…